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How about bi-weekly updates that are half the size of that last one? A lot of stuff happened in that last update and shorter ones would give us more of a chance to talk about what happened.
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Dec 2, 2013 18:22
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A Revenant is an real thing in WoD. It's a wraith that decides to traipse around in its own corpse and has a host of really freakish abilities and powers that go along with that. Unlike Mummys, which are also totally real and entirely awesome.
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Dec 2, 2013 20:17
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gatz posted:I'm sure everyone would, but the only way to make that happen is to cut down on the update length. Honestly that last update took hours to complete, taking everything into account. I can't do that every day and not get burned out. 
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Dec 2, 2013 20:23
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Deadmeat5150 posted:A Revenant is an real thing in WoD. It's a wraith that decides to traipse around in its own corpse and has a host of really freakish abilities and powers that go along with that. Unlike Mummys, which are also totally real and entirely awesome. Aren't mummies the only good supernaturals in the OWoD?
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Dec 2, 2013 20:55
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insanityv2 posted:How about bi-weekly updates that are half the size of that last one? A lot of stuff happened in that last update and shorter ones would give us more of a chance to talk about what happened. Pierzak posted:That's what I meant, the option you proposed. Large updates are awesome, but if there's a big delay between them I tend to forget this thread exists Sounds like that's what I'll do from now on. Good idea about shorter updates allowing more discussion - I was kind of disappointed that there was little to no discussion about many things that happened in part 4. I guess that's what happens when there's so much going on.
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Dec 2, 2013 22:42
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gatz posted:Sounds like that's what I'll do from now on. Good idea about shorter updates allowing more discussion - I was kind of disappointed that there was little to no discussion about many things that happened in part 4. I guess that's what happens when there's so much going on. Well, let's see what I can do! Mercurio, arms dealer, although I never bothered to find him and visit in-game. What am I missing out on? Also a warehouse full of armed goons--just another day in LA, nothing to worry about. Definitely still Act 1 material. Tung. It's a totally artificial gaming setup. Forget about Rolf's car. Of course there's some big drama happening right as you're turned. Naturally the solution is to send in the newbie that everyone respects! Nobody will be bitter that some That diner is the most noir thing ever... I like to pretend people are willing to give you personal effects or ask you to track down someone else because they a) think you're a total sop and can be argued into doing their chores (if MMOs are any indication, they're right!) and b) I mentally like to pretend there's some deeper flavor dialogue where you convincingly pass yourself off as an acquaintance of the missing party, just like I like to pretend not every human reverted to anarcho-primitivism at the end of the reimagined BSG series! Revealing who you are to your new thrall right away is pretty hilarious if you are doing a low humanity run. Ever massacred an entire hospital and SWAT team? It's so cinematic! E's disposition towards you is either random or bugged, and I have no idea if you're using the same patch I did (and I used multiple patches through my history with this game). Probably bugged, knowing what we're dealing with. My only regret is the we're never able to brutally murder the creepy ghoul selling blood. He's so annoying. DeusExMachinima fucked around with this message at 00:19 on Dec 3, 2013 |
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Dec 3, 2013 00:16
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This poster loves police brutality, but only when its against minorities!
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Josef bugman posted:Aren't mummies the only good supernaturals in the OWoD? They're the only ones that actually exist for good purpose at least. Certainly there are pretty good supernaturals among any given group (even if they're incredibly rare) but mummies do work for Ma'at and such. If you want to play an oWoD game where you're good guys that and Demon are some of your better options (low Torment Demons basically being angels after all).
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Dec 3, 2013 00:24
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Also something I never got: Rosa says Mercurio is trustworthy. Without going into spoilers, suffice it to say that this is more or less turns out to be the case. However, if Mercurio is the Prince's ghoul, shouldn't he be enthralled to the Prince? How does he have the agency to help you when, as this warehouse suicide mission suggests, the Prince might not want you around for very long? Am I misunderstanding how this whole ghoul thing works?
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Dec 3, 2013 00:27
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insanityv2 posted:Also something I never got: One thing Merc is is a survivor, I think that his loyalties may be to one side but he isn't suicidal. Plus it might not even be the princes blood in particular, just blood from various vamps that are high up in the Cam. Feinne posted:They're the only ones that actually exist for good purpose at least. Certainly there are pretty good supernaturals among any given group (even if they're incredibly rare) but mummies do work for Ma'at and such. See I would love to play a game of Demon but it (alongside mummy) seem to be the biggest "forgotten gamelines" of the OWoD. Josef bugman fucked around with this message at 00:34 on Dec 3, 2013 |
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Dec 3, 2013 00:32
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insanityv2 posted:Also something I never got: You can only have one blood bond at a time (unlike the Sabbat's Vinculum, which is a lesser bond but able to be created with any number of people). It's possible Mercurio is bound to some other lackey of LaCroix's but is made available to him. It's also important to remember that this devotion isn't mindless. It's colored by your personality and your own interests. Sure, you might lie down in front of a truck to save them, but you might not if they aren't in danger and you have a healthy self-preservation sense. Of course, less obvious dangers to yourself you'll eagerly walk into if they want you to. That said, Mercurio is low cog in La Croix's machine. He probably gets his blood from a bag and hasn't actually seen LaCroix in person for a while. So he gets his orders and that's more or less it; LaCroix's intentions and extended plans are probably not communicated. Also, if Mercurio is feeling particularly spurned or ignored, its possible he could act out of spite to gain his bondholder's attention. Imagine an ignored clingy obsessive significant other and what they might do. So its really not a conflict when he gives help to someone who's done him a solid favor, even if the Prince apparently sent them on a suicide mission. If the PC asked him to expressly act against his domitor it probably wouldn't fly, but offering his procurement services and area knowledge is certainly a-ok.
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Dec 3, 2013 00:41
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Without going into spoilers too much, after we run the prince's little errant, mercurio will respawn healed up - unless gatz antagonizes the guy to the point that he attacks you (entirely possible to do). I assume that it's suppsed to represent the idea that enough time has passed for mercurio to heal. At that point the player can ask him about various characters and organizations - including the sabbat, camarilla, lacroix, (iirc) jack and other characters who we haven't met yet. That should explain somewhat where he stands vis-a-vis the jester prince and the camarilla in general
double nine fucked around with this message at 10:28 on Dec 3, 2013 |
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Dec 3, 2013 01:20
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double nine posted:spoilers gatz posted:Keep spoilers in tags. Spoiler tag that poo poo. Seriously. The tags are there for a reason. No idea why you thought that was okay to post without tagging. I don't want to have to start closing the thread like some other LPers do. gatz fucked around with this message at 02:57 on Dec 3, 2013 |
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Dec 3, 2013 02:53
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Feinne posted:If you want to play an oWoD game where you're good guys that and Demon are some of your better options (low Torment Demons basically being angels after all). You can do okay with some of the Werewolf clans too. If you stay away from the dickhole tribes (YMMV as to which ones qualify as dickholes) you can play it as Captain Planet or Scooby Doo with werewolves.
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Dec 3, 2013 04:37
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Tehan posted:You can do okay with some of the Werewolf clans too. If you stay away from the dickhole tribes (YMMV as to which ones qualify as dickholes) you can play it as Captain Planet or Scooby Doo with werewolves.
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Dec 3, 2013 08:27
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DeusExMachinima posted:Mercurio, arms dealer, although I never bothered to find him and visit in-game. What am I missing out on? You're missing out on a combat shotgun, and early access to a sniper rifle, Steyr AUG and flamethrower. With the plus patch, AFAIK this is the only way to get the flamethrower. Note that you don't need to come back at any particular time. Whatever has been unlocked will still be available later.
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Dec 3, 2013 08:51
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Tehan posted:You can do okay with some of the Werewolf clans too. If you stay away from the dickhole tribes (YMMV as to which ones qualify as dickholes) you can play it as Captain Planet or Scooby Doo with werewolves. And, of course, the Front Line operatives can be the biggest drat heroes ever. Best oWoD rulebook posted:Monsters lurk in the night. Countless thousands of vampires prey on the innocent, leaching blood from carefully cultivated herds of human kine. Primitive shapeshifters indulge freely in their rage, slaughtering anything that doesn't fit their conception of spiritual purity. Even darker spirits possess and control the living from beyond the grave. No human is entirely safe. In fact, each faction of the occult believes that it controls human society and the course of human history. Rogue AI Goddess fucked around with this message at 18:04 on Dec 3, 2013 |
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Dec 3, 2013 18:01
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Don't forget about the Hunters. Their entire thing is based around ridding humanity of supernatural influences, and only one variety is composed of Punisher-esque psychopathic vigilantes!
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Dec 3, 2013 18:09
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Tehan posted:Yeah, I had forgotten the term for it. The theory was that 'revenants' were just a name given to dhampir families to prevent others from knowing they were the ultimate in thinbloodedness and thus that the Tzimisce had deliberately bred the harbingers of the apocalypse... which really discredits the omens, just like the treadmill of thinbloodedness Ephemeron just highlighted. A common undertone among all the games is that the Apocalypse has always been nigh, and it's just this time it really is by more or less pure coincidence. H-bombs? End is nigh. Destruction of Enoch? End is nigh. Destruction of Carthage? End is nigh. Diablerie of Saulot? End is nigh. Rise of the Technocracy? End is nigh. Fall of the White Howler werewolf tribe to the Wyrm? End is nigh. Death of Zapathasura? End is- holy poo poo that time it really happened Not really - the spread of Entropy (or Wyrm, or Oblivion) was noticeable. It was most glaring in the Low Umbra (also called Shadowlands, where the wraiths used to live), which was pretty much the universe's toilet that gets more and more clogged with time. It started as a pretty lovely place and ended as a delapidated sinkhole where even the space-time were falling apart, constantly besieged by spectres and wracked by cataclysmic events. Even their main force of stability and order became a corrupt, despotic empire whose leader went missing a long time ago. At least until destruction of Enoch wrecked it so completely that most of its inhabitants were simply torn apart or thrown into human bodies. Even the Mage Revised gives some really obvious hints that the universe stops working, including a red star suddenly appearing in Umbra.
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Dec 3, 2013 18:48
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Gantolandon posted:Not really - the spread of Entropy (or Wyrm, or Oblivion) was noticeable. It was most glaring in the Low Umbra (also called Shadowlands, where the wraiths used to live), which was pretty much the universe's toilet that gets more and more clogged with time. It started as a pretty lovely place and ended as a delapidated sinkhole where even the space-time were falling apart, constantly besieged by spectres and wracked by cataclysmic events. Even their main force of stability and order became a corrupt, despotic empire whose leader went missing a long time ago. At least until destruction of Enoch wrecked it so completely that most of its inhabitants were simply torn apart or thrown into human bodies. Yeah, Demon suggests that God basically took a divine bat to reality and broke it before completely disappearing, and that because of that everything will just get worse and worse until it falls apart completely. In the same in-character section that talks about such events it's also suggested that God actually looks like a kind of overweight but not unattractive lady, so the reliability of information from demons should always be questioned slightly of course. Tehan posted:Yeah, I phrased that poorly. An expiry date has been baked into the setting right from the start and there was definitely foreshadowing of it in the metaphysics. But apart from the deep metaphysics that only a few of the PC subgroups have any sort of exposure to (in VtM, I think only the Giovanni had any sort of idea how deeply hosed the Shadowlands were), the only indication that most players would have that poo poo was hitting the fan were the same sort of things that were wrongly thought to be portents of the end times in the past. Doubly so for vampires (which most players concentrate on) who are largely insulated from the rest of the supernatural world. Zapathasura wasn't the first Antediluvian to bite it (heh), the 15th generation weren't the first thinbloods, and so on. So, the thing with Zapathasura wasn't that he was the first Antediluvian to die, it's that he was the first Antediluvian to die from something that wasn't someone usurping him. That's why he was a harbinger of the end of the world, because the line of his clan was forever severed when he died. Feinne fucked around with this message at 19:45 on Dec 3, 2013 |
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Dec 3, 2013 19:40
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Gantolandon posted:Not really - the spread of Entropy (or Wyrm, or Oblivion) was noticeable. It was most glaring in the Low Umbra (also called Shadowlands, where the wraiths used to live), which was pretty much the universe's toilet that gets more and more clogged with time. It started as a pretty lovely place and ended as a delapidated sinkhole where even the space-time were falling apart, constantly besieged by spectres and wracked by cataclysmic events. Even their main force of stability and order became a corrupt, despotic empire whose leader went missing a long time ago. At least until destruction of Enoch wrecked it so completely that most of its inhabitants were simply torn apart or thrown into human bodies. Yeah, I phrased that poorly. An expiry date has been baked into the setting right from the start and there was definitely foreshadowing of it in the metaphysics. But apart from the deep metaphysics that only a few of the PC subgroups have any sort of exposure to (in VtM, I think only the Giovanni had any sort of idea how deeply hosed the Shadowlands were), the only indication that most players would have that poo poo was hitting the fan were the same sort of things that were wrongly thought to be portents of the end times in the past. Doubly so for vampires (which most players concentrate on) who are largely insulated from the rest of the supernatural world. Zapathasura wasn't the first Antediluvian to bite it (heh), the 15th generation weren't the first thinbloods, and so on. e: Feinne posted:So, the thing with Zapathasura wasn't that he was the first Antediluvian to die, it's that he was the first Antediluvian to die from something that wasn't someone usurping him. That's why he was a harbinger of the end of the world, because the line of his clan was forever severed when he died. That's true, but it's a bit of a fine hair to split compared to saintly Saulot and the vast majority of the Salubri being wiped out at the hands of the Tremere, which can be seen as very different to the internal coups of the Cappadocians and the Brujah. Though Saulot ultimately possessing Tremere makes the distinction clear, the general bloodsucking public wouldn't be aware of that. If the world had ended soon after 1133, the diablerie of Saulot would seem as compelling a portent as the death of Zapathasura does for the canonical apocalypse. And while the death of Zapathasura is indeed a genuine portent in hindsight, it could be very easily dismissed before poo poo well and truly hit the fan - especially for those within the Camarilla, which didn't even officially recognize the existence of the Antediluvians. Tehan fucked around with this message at 20:31 on Dec 3, 2013 |
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Dec 3, 2013 19:42
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Feinne posted:Yeah, Demon suggests that God basically took a divine bat to reality and broke it before completely disappearing, and that because of that everything will just get worse and worse until it falls apart completely. Yeah, when he died, the Ravnos clan fell on itself in a crazy frenzy. They pretty much took themselves out from their Clan founder's death spasm/psychic impulse. In the Gehenna scenarios, or at least the ones where their deaths are plot points, the other Antediluvians have similar effects to their descendants when they die.
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Dec 3, 2013 20:22
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Vicissitude posted:Yeah, when he died, the Ravnos clan fell on itself in a crazy frenzy. They pretty much took themselves out from their Clan founder's death spasm/psychic impulse. In the Gehenna scenarios, or at least the ones where their deaths are plot points, the other Antediluvians have similar effects to their descendants when they die. It's worth mentioning that vampires can survive their antediluvians' death, but the check gets easier the further from their progenitor they are, making this basically the only case when a high generation comes in handy.
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Dec 3, 2013 23:48
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How come the antediluvians' deaths wipe out all their childer but the death any other vampire's sire doesn't wipe out the childe?
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Dec 4, 2013 01:25
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twig1919 posted:How come the antediluvians' deaths wipe out all their childer but the death any other vampire's sire doesn't wipe out the childe? Because the Antediluvians who actually matter are basically not even vampires any more in all but the most technical sense. They're horrible things that shouldn't be and exert a terrible pressure on all those of their blood just by existing. To be quite honest the Giovanni and possibly the Tremere probably shouldn't suffer the negative impacts of their Antediluvian being destroyed. Also, if you want to be technical, Set was really the first Antediluvian to 'die' in that he's somewhere else and not coming back (and when the Setities finally realize this they pretty much all kill themselves and get the same results as if he'd died all over again).
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Dec 4, 2013 01:35
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twig1919 posted:How come the antediluvians' deaths wipe out all their childer but the death any other vampire's sire doesn't wipe out the childe? Blood gods. No, really. There's a Presence power (around 8 or 9 I believe) that has you being able to command people of your lineage - that's something that you can pull off if you're 5th or 4th generation. Now imagine what you can do with the next step of that.
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Dec 4, 2013 01:41
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Feinne posted:Because the Antediluvians who actually matter are basically not even vampires any more in all but the most technical sense. They're horrible things that shouldn't be and exert a terrible pressure on all those of their blood just by existing. Lasombra was a giant Abyssal shadow-demon thing at the end. Tzimisce had literally infiltrated the earth's biosphere on the microbial level thanks to its mastery of Vicissitude. Ravnos had become one of the Rakshasa demons of legend. Ennoia (Gangrel) BECAME THE EARTH thanks to Protean.
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Dec 4, 2013 04:35
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Vicissitude posted:Lasombra was a giant Abyssal shadow-demon thing at the end. Tzimisce had literally infiltrated the earth's biosphere on the microbial level thanks to its mastery of Vicissitude. Ravnos had become one of the Rakshasa demons of legend. Ennoia (Gangrel) BECAME THE EARTH thanks to Protean. Nosferatu's Antediluvian had basically made Godzilla with Animalism 10, the whole thing was hilariously nuts. I actually appreciate how they went way the hell over the top.
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Dec 4, 2013 04:41
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They should make a video game about that. Kind of like The Force Unleashed, but with vampires and all sorts of ridiculous maxed out powers.
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Dec 4, 2013 04:45
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What I like most about the setting is that while everyone looks down on humanity they also fear humanity greatly. The masquerade is there because any real effort from humanity put into exterminating vampires would mean the end of vampire civilization. Not to mention that later we're going to see one of the few groups in the know and how brutally effective they are at combating vampires. Imagine an army with their knowledge.
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Dec 4, 2013 08:36
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Vicissitude posted:Tzimisce had literally infiltrated the earth's biosphere on the microbial level thanks to its mastery of Vicissitude. Tell me more, this sounds so crazy. 
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Dec 4, 2013 09:08
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Feinne posted:Also, if you want to be technical, Set was really the first Antediluvian to 'die' in that he's somewhere else and not coming back (and when the Setities finally realize this they pretty much all kill themselves and get the same results as if he'd died all over again). Malkavians on the Setites, from one of the older Clanbooks: "I can't understand them. Aren't they mad yet? Don't they understand what they've seen? Goddamn. Goddamn..." I really like Malkavians when they're playing up the Cassandraic seer thing instead of the usual Fishmalk nonsense. Which is why the Bloodlines PC version is so bloody fantastic. Pretty much everything that's not a pun is cryptic foreshadowing and it's great. A possible explanation - particularly powerful or insane Malkavians can, upon death, find a form of immortality by uploading themselves onto the Malkavian Madness Network and from there have access to about as many secrets as you could expect a clan with Obfuscate, Auspex and a gift of prophecy to discover. Considering the PC's blood pool, the PC's sire would certainly count as powerful. So it's very likely that the number of secrets the Malkavian PC blurts out are whispered in their ear by their late sire - in tabletop terms, the Disembodied Mentor merit. While we're talking Antediluvians, it's quite possible that the entire Malkavian Clan is Malkav's fractured psyche taken physical form. More likely, he is the insanity in every Malkavian and the Network that links them all. According to legend he was attacked and rent asunder shortly after the fall of the Second City, and his childer took his blood within themselves to protect it from the sun. The Malkavians relentlessly hunt down anyone outside the clan with access to the Network, whether they be Malkavian-sired Caitiff or diablerists, so they're definitely protecting something. Did Malkav play any part in the End Times? It's been ages since I read up on it and my memories are hazy.
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Dec 4, 2013 10:13
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Tehan posted:Did Malkav play any part in the End Times? It's been ages since I read up on it and my memories are hazy. In the 'Crucible of Gods' scenario, Malkav is responsible for the creation of 'bacchante' packs. These are composed of between a couple dozen and a hundred humans, all driven completely insane by Malkav's Dementation 10, and optionally a possessed Malkavian or two. They roam the apocalyptic landscape all over the world. Any vampire or human who gets caught by them is either driven insane and subsumed into the pack or simply killed and eaten. In their spare time, bacchantes randomly sleep, fight each other, gently caress each other, eat, laugh, cry or dance - hence the name. Something eventually kills Malkav, but the specifics are left to Storyteller. The final fun part is that, unlike other survivors of this scenario, the bacchantes don't get back to normal even in the best outcome (although they thankfully stop spreading madness) - *and* it's stated that there's a lot of them left. I don't think that Malkav personally shows up in the Gehenna novel or clan novels leading up to it. (Unless, of course, Anatole the Prophet was actually him)
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Dec 4, 2013 12:00
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Yeah, some of the Antediluvians in that story just sort of die suddenly with no real obvious explanation, and generally good riddance because they were really bad news. There's actually a reasonably cool one who doesn't actually have a clan who seems to be eaten by Ennoia, but who actually manages to survive and help you again if you were cool with them.
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Dec 4, 2013 15:38
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LeJackal posted:Tell me more, this sounds so crazy. Well, Tzimisce was not killed by its childer when they diablerized it. Instead, it took over Lugoj and decided to make Lambach its 'witness'. While it originally had Lugoj deposit it in the soily womb of the Carpathian Mountains to kind of gestate into a new form (where it absorbed a good amount of knowledge and power from the demon Kupala who pretty much fuels the clan's Koldunic Sorcery), eventually it was transported to the New World and was plopped down in the deepest sewers of New York City. Down there, it began to experiment with Metamorphosis. The fleshy hulk of the thing seemed to die, but soon mold began to appear. Then other plant life. All life produced was wholly new and unknown to anyone who saw it. Granted, they didn't get a chance to observe for long before Tzimisce caught and absorbed them into its mass, but if they did get a good long look, they'd have seen that it was developing a new ecosystem at a hyperfast rate. Tzimisce was trying to create new life, fleshy plants and plantlike flesh. Eventually, it had spread out through spores and other assorted bric-a-brac to basically disperse itself into the existing ecosystem on earth. When it did, its consciousness left and spread out among the entire planet. The dead hulk back in New York remained animate, but it was pretty much just a Vozhd at that point. So many people, animals and even vampires (a LOT of Nosferatu before they sealed up the entrances to its tunnels that they knew about) got absorbed into the old undead frame of the Antediluvian. So technically, Tzimisce is in two places at once. But the real mind and rotten soul of the thing is spread throughout the entire world. The rest is just the shell it left behind. Feinne posted:Yeah, some of the Antediluvians in that story just sort of die suddenly with no real obvious explanation, and generally good riddance because they were really bad news. I think only Lasombra does. It shows up as a shadow that wraps around the earth, but it only lasts 3 days. On the third day, blood rains from the sky and then the shadow disperses. No explanation was given. Other Antediluvians don't give two shits about most people. Haqim is pretty much involved in his own clan, destroying those who don't completely submit to him (except Fatima, who made a good case for her dual loyalty to her Clan and her god). Ennoia just sort of strikes at random by opening GIANT holes in the earth and swallowing cites. She eats Vienna, where the Tremere home base is. The Council of Seven is never heard from again. quote:There's actually a reasonably cool one who doesn't actually have a clan who seems to be eaten by Ennoia, but who actually manages to survive and help you again if you were cool with them. "The Shaper" was hinted at to be like Toreador Antediluvian, though the book says that she never sired any clan of her own. So perhaps they were closely related when they were embraced and Arikel was her sister or something. Vicissitude fucked around with this message at 15:53 on Dec 4, 2013 |
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Dec 4, 2013 15:42
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Vicissitude posted:Well, Tzimisce was not killed by its childer when they diablerized it. Instead, it took over Lugoj and decided to make Lambach its 'witness'. While it originally had Lugoj deposit it in the soily womb of the Carpathian Mountains to kind of gestate into a new form (where it absorbed a good amount of knowledge and power from the demon Kupala who pretty much fuels the clan's Koldunic Sorcery), eventually it was transported to the New World and was plopped down in the deepest sewers of New York City. Uh... that sure is a story.    We'll be heading back to our apartment, first off, for three reasons: 1. It's a good habit to check our email frequently. 2. That money from Malcom should be waiting for us back in our mailbox. 3. If Copper has attempted to assassinate the president, no doubt it's on the news.  There's our blackmail money. Intimidate has a few good options in the early game for getting extra money, but as the game progresses, those options decrease, and Intimidate functions more or less just like any other dialogue skill, excluding dominate.  Nope, nothing new on the news. But there is something new in our email:  We have good reason to dislike LaCroix, but it would probably mean bad news if that blood was tested. Let's get this out of the way before they have time to do it. Back to the hospital.  Instead of going down to the basement, we're going up to the second floor. We know that it's probably up there by process of elimination.  There's a security guard patrolling up here, just like the receptionist said. Remember that we tricked that receptionist into giving us access to the back areas of the clinic by telling her that we're here to fix some network. We can probably trick him into helping us, if we follow similar lines.   I'm here to fix the network. Nurse downstairs told me to talk to you. Yeah, she called. I don't remember hearing anything about computer problems, but... you'd know better than I would. I'll open the door for you. Follow me. Uh... is it necessary to bend down like that to unlock a door? At any rate, we're now given access to the server room.  cs door, cs cabinet. "Controlled Substances"?... We can't gain access to those two, since we don't have a high enough hacking score, but maybe we can smooth-talk the security guard into getting us into there...  [Persuade] I need access to your controlled substances room. Sorry, that's off limits. The master CPU driver has to be recoupled right away or it'll be fried! Alright, I'll get the door for you. Great! Now just to lockpick whatever cabinet is locked...  Unfortunately, it simply cannot be lockpicked. The security camera guarding the room is probably from an earlier time where we had to turn off the camera before taking whatever's in that cabinet. There is a security room, but mucking about with the cameras serves no purpose. We're in a bad way, here. We can't lockpick the cabinet, but we also can't hack into the computer to unlock the cabinet. What do we do? Well, that security guard has unlocked two rooms for us. It's likely that he has the key to the cabinet. We can't just ask him for it, though, and dominating him - while it would make sense - isn't an option.  So we have to kill him.  Yes, we do get his key, but for some odd reason it doesn't unlock the controlled substances cabinet. I call it odd because a lot of these early quests have multiple ways of completing them; if you're not good at one thing, taking it from another angle is a viable option. This side quest is an outlier: the only way to unlock that cabinet is to hack the computer.  So I had to look the password up on the internet. It doesn't make sense, either. Who is the one who set up this system for the clinic? Probably some computer technician, and the password would probably be a seemingly random combination of letters and numbers, since it contains such sensitive material. It certainly wouldn't be something personal to one of the employees, especially something someone wouldn't want others to know about. Now ask yourself: who is the girl that Malcom is having an affair with?    Like I said, we don't have to worry about the camera.  And there it is, the only thing in the cabinet. LaCroix told us to drop it off inside of our mailbox. Who would know that we put it in there, though? I'm sure some in the thread would immediately say, "it's the Nosferatu! it's the Nosferatu! They know everything." The world of darkness sure has some great cop-outs. Tehan posted:
* * *  There we go. Just wait a little bit, and I'm sure we'll have some more money waiting for us. Or a time-bomb. Okay, probably money.  Let's head into the other apartment complex in Santa Monica. We have two things to do, there: 1. Give Mercurio some morphine 2. Search Carson's apartment for signs of his whereabouts Remember, we got that second quest from Arthur Kilpatrick. Regarding the first, I'm sure Mercurio will be happy about the morphine.  I brought you some morphine. Hold still. Ahh... ohh... Oh, holy Christ I needed that.Indeed. Before, Mercurio told us that he could supply us with guns if we keep his secret. But he didn't tell us where we could get guns immediately. Mercurio being who he is, he probably knows someone. I had some questions about Santa Monica. Specifically? Know where I can score some guns? Thanks. Goodbye. Carson's apartment is just opposite of Mercurio's. Remember: Carson is Kilpatrick's bounty hunter that went missing.  We find this skill book on the table. Skill books are books that increase certain skills, which is obvious. What's not obvious is that you have to have a certain level of research to be able to use each one. The books often come with humorous text. Here's this one's, which is not: So You Wanna' Shoot Things? posted:Using a gun is simple, easy, and fun for the whole family. First, get a gun, preferably something for home defence, like an automatic rifle. Second, check to see if the gun is loaded, if not, do so. Third, find a target - we recommend inanimate objects if no muggers are around. Fourth, shoot - feel the power. . . This book increases firearms skill.  On the desk, there's a recorder. This should give us a clue on Carson's whereabouts.  Check, check. Is this thing recording? God, I hate these things. Uh ahem. Anyway... the, uh, McGee case is getting weirder all the time. I found where he's been hiding, and I saw some really creepy stuff down there. There was, uh, no sign of McGee. I'm gonna follow up on another lead I got, too. I updated the files on the computer. Uh, this is Carson, signing off. Man, that sounds stupid!McGee case? Maybe the computer will have more information.  But the stuff of McGee is password-locked. What could be the password?  Well, there's this poster of a model on the wall. Could that be the password?   Now to find out more about McGee. Could it just be a coincidence that Carson disappeared while searching for him?  Maybe, maybe not, but in either case, the tattoo parlor is where we need to go. Another section of the computer tells us not to forget the key to the parlor, which sits on top of the tv.  With that in our inventory, we'll head out.  The tattoo parlor and pawnshop are opposite each other. Who knows what could be waiting for us inside the parlor - we'd better get weapons from the pawnshop, first.  That must be Trip.   Uh, how's it going'? You, um, lookin' to buy or sell or...? What's your name? Watch out for this guy. Nice to meet you, Trip. Thanks. You, uh, new to Santa Monica? Yes I am. Is it that obvious? It's not a big surprise. We get new faces through here night after night. Used to be more tourists but now... I dunno, man... it's more like drifters. Why do they come here? Beats me. Santa Monica is dead. I don't know why anyone comes out here anymore.A dead city, fit for dead patrons. It's going to be worse now with this serial killer on the loose. Yeah, it's freakin' me out, to be honest. I'm open all night and Santa Monica police don't rank amongst the nation's most worthy. Are these killings happening around here? Ohhh. I dunno. I heard someone at the pier got ripped up like that poor bastard in Long Beach the other day. That's what I heard too.And saw. I'll tell ya, crazy stuff happens all the time and it's like we just get used to it; just go on our way "doot-dee-do'. But this... I dunno, these killings are chilling. Indeed, you should be careful. So did you need anything in particular, or...? I heard this is the place to pick up some weapons. Mercurio told me you would help me out. Alright... look, I can't have every Jesse and Jaime off the street, ya know, comin' in here askin' about this. It's not cool. Not exactly licensed and these weapons aren't... precisely legal... if you catch my drift, here. I understand. Look... now... I appreciate your business and I'll sell to you but don't tell anyone else, 'k? Keep your nose clean. Of course.Let's see what these 'illegal' weapons are.  Oh man, a knife. He must have imported this from out of the country, it's so hot. Well, we can't let this go unused, so we'll buy it and sell that baseball bat in our inventory.  Alright... here we go!  Man, this place is a dump.  There's not much here, but suddenly, a faint ringing of a telephone breaks the silence.  It must be coming from down the stairs...  What's that on the wall?  Gimble's prosthetics...? Why would this be in the basement of a tatoo parlor? No time to think - we've got to pick up that phone before the call goes dead.   Hello. Might I speak with Mr. McGee? He doesn't seem to be here at the moment. Can I help you? Well, I'm not sure. I had an appointment with him a few days ago, but he never seemed to show up. Do you know when he'll return? No. Actually, I'm looking for him myself. You are? Isn't that a coincidence? Why are you looking for him?No time to go into details. I'm a bounty hunter. He just skipped bail a few months ago. Was that a stutter? This guy might know more than he's telling. Could you answer a few questions for me? I'd be delighted to. Why don't you come down to my office, and we'll talk about it. Where are you located? I'm at the end of Main Street, a small basement studio. The sign says Gimble's Prosthetics. Just ring the buzzer and I'll let you in. Sounds good. I'll be there in a little while.He seemed oddly happy to answer our questions. Well, it's nice to have someone who's happy to help. This should go well, all things considered. Right? ...Right? gatz fucked around with this message at 10:44 on Feb 17, 2014 |
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Dec 4, 2013 19:25
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gatz posted:And there it is, the only thing in the cabinet. LaCroix told us to drop it off inside of our mailbox. Who would know that we put it in there, though? I'm sure some in the thread would immediately say, "it's the Nosferatu! it's the Nosferatu! They know everything."    More likely he just gave some ghoul lackey a key and told them to check the mailbox every morning. Though the game doesn't represent it in gameplay, it does take place over a number of days. Strange to have vampires mucking about in keeping the werewolves swept under the rug. If LaCroix hadn't intervened it probably would have been a coin-flip to see whether it would be Pentex (Captain Planet villains in service to the primal spirit of corruption and destruction, and also one of the world's largest megacorporations) or the Glass Walkers (urban, tech-savvy werewolf tribe) who stepped in to keep the secret under wraps. Or maybe this is the Glass Walkers stepping in - they are known to dabble in wafer-thin non-aggression treaties with the Ventrue and Giovanni from time to time, which could very well extend to working together to preserve the Masquerade as well as the Veil (the werewolf equivalent). Or it could just as easily be Pentex working through LaCroix.
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Dec 4, 2013 21:55
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Did they ever fix the glitch where the phone headset decides it doesn't like you and drags itself back to the wall?
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Dec 4, 2013 22:07
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Added Space posted:Did they ever fix the glitch where the phone headset decides it doesn't like you and drags itself back to the wall? Nope, I remember reading somewhere that it was baked into the engine and couldn't be fixed using the modding tools.
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Dec 4, 2013 22:18
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Added Space posted:Did they ever fix the glitch where the phone headset decides it doesn't like you and drags itself back to the wall? Nope. Tehan posted:
I'm really not familiar at all with Werewolf, so I'll take your word for it.
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Dec 4, 2013 22:20
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Tehan posted:
Vandal heavily implies that some other vampire ("queen bitch herself") controls the clinic, or at least the blood bank. If werewolf blood is discovered there, it means that everyone nearby are going to have a bad time. Werewolves may get involved, and when they do, the things tend to be really messy. Or the New World Order pays the visit and decides to investigate other reality deviants while they're here. Or just the kine gets spooked enough to start a witch hunt. You never know. Of course, it's not that LaCroix is going to lose anything. He may hesitate before sending a loyal ghoul, but right now he has an asset he can lose without any regrets.
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Dec 4, 2013 22:23
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